The Chilean Juan Fernández rock lobster fishery (Jasus frontalis) has entered into independent, third party assessment in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification programme.
There are three units of certification for this fishery, one for the islands of Robinson Crusoe and Santa Clara, and one for the island of Alexander Selkirk, which make up the Juan Fernández archipelago.
The third unit is for the Desventuradas Islands, located north of the archipelago, where the rock lobster fishery is also conducted and where trap fishing is the only method used.
Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Government of the Republic of Chile (SUBPESCA) is funding the project to support the artisanal fishing community and help fishers differentiate their product in international markets.
There is a moratorium on the number of vessels allowed to operate in the fishery and in the 2011/2012 season, there were 57 active boats.
Only licensed artisanal fishers may harvest rock lobsters around the islands, and licenses are restricted to island residents.
There is no total allowable catch (TAC) currently established, but the catch was around 80 tonnes in 2012.
Currently, China is the largest commercial market for the harvest; however it has been France, Spain and Italy in the past.
The assessment will evaluate the fishery against the MSC’s criteria for sustainable fishing, and if successful, lobsters from this fishery will be able to bear the ecolabel.
